Ulster IFC final: Pomeroy 2-16 Donaghmoyne 0-10
TYRONE champions Pomeroy captured the Ulster Club IFC title for the second time with a resounding 12-point win over Monaghan’s Donaghmoyne at Páirc Esler.
It was a stroll for a Plunkett's side managed by Mickey Harte’s son Mark and his Errigal Ciarán clubmate Adrian O’Donnell as they dismantled the Farney challenge with the help of goals from Chris Colhoun and Frank Burns. Colhoun’s 16th minute strike helped them to a 1-5 to 0-5 interval lead and Burns sealed it with a second six minutes from the end.
The Red Hand men were well organised defensively, frustrating their opponents for long stretches, before turning on the style in the final-quarter: “They did it in style, although I thought the scoreboard at the end maybe flattered us a bit because Donaghmoyne were well in it apart from the goal in the first-half,” said Harte.
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“But we did kick on well in the second-half. We were creating chances in the first-half that were maybe going wide or dropping short and their kick-outs were giving us bother and they were retaining so much possession. Once we got the squeeze on in the second-half, we knew that we'd done the work during the course of the year. I'm just delighted for everybody that we got over the line.”
Pomeroy set up with a fortified defensive system which frustrated their opponents, pushing them wide, from where they shot a rash of wides. Monaghan panellist and Donaghmoyne captain Pádraig Donaghy did manage to create enough space to slot over a couple of classy scores, but the Plunkett's eased into a 0-4 to 0-2 lead, with a couple of John Loughran points and a score from corner-back Sean Quinn, pushing up to track sweeper Stephen Finnegan.
And in the 16th minute, they got in for a goal, Loughran carving the opening to send full-forward Chris Colhoun through for a crisp finish past Shane Garland. The Farney men responded with a David Garland free and a superb long range effort from Ronan McDonald, but at the break, they trailed by 1-5 to 0-5.
Donaghmoyne goalkeeper Shane Garland came to his side’s rescue with two superb saves early in the second half. First, he dashed off his line to deny Burns, and moments later, dived to push a John Loughran screamer round a post.
The Plunkett's did manage to garner points off both incidents, though, as they eased six clear, Burns nailing his fourth from a ’45. Frank Markey, Stephen Cunningham and Donaghy tried to get their flagging side going, but it took Donaghmoyne 14 minutes to get their first score of the second half, a David Garland free.
Pomeroy never lost their shape defensively, with skipper Hugh Pat McGeary directing operations and Brendan Burns rock solid, while Kieran McGeary and Frank Burns ran at the Donaghmoyne defence from deep.
Subs Justin McCaffrey, Gavin Goodfellow and Aidan Woods all contributed scores, and more, as the Plunketts drove for home, and it was all over long before Burns collected McCaffrey’s return pass to drill home the second goal.
Now, the Plunkett's players, who had to forego many of the club’s centenary celebrations, have the management’s approval to have a party, before they get down to the business of preparing for the All-Ireland series in the new year.
“They're entitled to have a party now and none more so than the players who in the club's Centenary Year really pout their shoulders to the wheel,” said Harte.
“We didn't feel pressures from within the club and we just wanted to prepare 30 players to play championship and league football. These lads have dedicated themselves for the full calendar year.”
MATCH STATS
Pomeroy: J McCourt, B Burns, C McKenna, S Quinn (0-1), D Nugent, HP McGeary, M McKeever, B Cunningham, R Loughran (0-1), K McGeary, O McCreesh (0-2), F Burns (1-5 (4f, 1 ’45), J Loughran (0-3), C Colhoun (1-0), K Armstrong; Subs: G Goodfellow (0-1) for Armstrong (31), J McCaffrey (0-2) for Colhoun (43), A Woods (0-1) for McCreesh (54), R Lagan for Cunningham (55), R Begley for Nugent (57), D Woods for K McGeary (57)
Donaghmoyne: S Garland, S Markey, M Murnaghan, B Kelly, S Cunningham, S Kelly, F Keenan, D McElroy (0-1), F Markey, N Garland, P Donaghy (0-3), R McDonald (0-2, 1f), D Garland (0-3, 2f), S McElroy, S Finnegan; Subs: D Coleman for D McElroy (34), A Courtney (0-1) for Kelly (35), N Keenan for N Garland (40), C Deery for S McElroy (52), D Wilson for Keenan (58)
Referee: P Faloon (Down)
